


call me Rudolph, because you just sleighed me

by yourstrulytay



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Bad Flirting, Bad Pick-Up Lines, Christmas Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, M/M, how to get a boyfriend using skateboards and Christmas pick-up lines: a memoir by willie, rated T for language and literally that's it, the use of too many Christmas themed pick-up lines
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:14:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28167588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourstrulytay/pseuds/yourstrulytay
Summary: When Alex goes for coffee with the guy who knocked him over while skateboarding, he’s not entirely sure what he should expect. Willie texting him holiday-themed pick-up lines every day is certainly not even close to being on his list of expectations.
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 173





	call me Rudolph, because you just sleighed me

**Author's Note:**

> honestly I wrote this while procrastinating doing my final assignments for school so.... make of that what you will lmao  
> I definitely did not have to search for Christmas related pick-up lines.... why would you think such a thing? also idk what the title is either.... I'm aware it's bad, dw lmao

Alex would like it on the record that he does not usually give out his number to random people he meets on the street.

He just –

This guy is _really_ pretty, and he has the cutest laugh and Alex can only be _so_ strong, okay? When the guy – he introduces himself as Willie – offers to buy Alex coffee sometime as an apology for knocking him flat on his ass in the middle of the sidewalk, the blonde does not even hesitate for a moment to hand over his phone so that Willie can enter his contact information in. He sees the shorter boy type something else quickly and when his phone is handed back to him he sees that Willie has texted himself a skateboard emoji – presumably so he has Alex’s number as well.

He explains that he has to go otherwise he’ll be late for work – his boss is kind of a dick, he tells Alex – and skates off. Alex watches him go for a few moments and then continues on to the cafe that he is supposed to be meeting Luke, Reggie, and Bobby for lunch. When he checks his phone, he realizes that it’s already fifteen minutes past noon and picks up his pace. He already has a text from Luke asking where.

The walk from where Willie crashed into him to the cafe is only a couple of minutes long on a normal day, so Alex does good by making it in only one. When he walks into the shop, he is met with identical disapproving stares from his bandmates and he gives them a sheepish look in return.

“Look,” he says once he’s reached their table, “It’s not my fault.”

Reggie and Bobby only raise their eyebrows, but Luke rolls his eyes and asks, “Care to explain why it isn’t your fault that you are almost twenty minutes late?”

“A guy ran into me on his skateboard and then he offered to get me coffee sometime, so we exchanged numbers and that took-“

“-wait, you gave your number to a stranger who _ran you over with his skateboard_?” Reggie cuts Alex off.

“He was nice!” Alex defends, “Besides, I don’t _actually_ have to get coffee with him if I don’t want to.” He avoids adding that he would _very much_ want to get coffee with Willie; the three boys in front of him look skeptical already and he doesn’t need _more_ judgement from them.

Bobby, always the one to cut straight through the bullshit, stares at Alex's face for a moment before rolling his eyes fondly at whatever he finds there. Proving to be Alex’s favourite person, he clears his throat to get the attention of the other two and begins to speak, “Guys, we’re here for a reason and that reason is not to pester Alex.”

Luke pouts but otherwise gestures for Bobby to continue. Alex and Reggie also nod their ascent, and Bobby launches into an explanation for why he wanted to meet for lunch. He turns to Luke, “You know how you’ve been talking about our ‘missing sound’?”

Their lead singer nods his head slowly, “…Yeah?”

“Okay, so my sister had a couple of her friends over on the weekend and they were singing karaoke-”

“-Please don’t say you want Carrie to join the band.” Luke cuts him off, and Alex has to stifle a laugh as a look of horror crosses Bobby’s face.

“God, _no_. And don’t interrupt.” Luke mutters something under his breath that sounds like “yes, mom” but other than that falls silent. “No, you guys, you should have _heard_ her one friend sing. Her name’s Julie Molina and this girl has got a _killer_ voice.”

Luke looks thoughtful, “Is there any way the rest of us _can_ hear her sing?”

Bobby nods excitedly, “Yeah! She and Carrie are singing at the spirit rally next week. If we actually _go_ this time, we can hear them sing and y’all can hear Julie’s voice.”

Luke looks to Reggie and then to Alex, both of them giving him intrigued looks back, “Okay boys, then I say we see what Bobby’s talking about! Maybe she’s the final piece this band has been looking for.”

Alex grins, bumping his fist against Bobby’s when it’s offered. Luke had been talking about their band having a missing sound for months, and as much as Alex loves their music, he has to agree, something – or someone – is missing.

As Alex heads up to the counter to finally get himself some food, he feels his phone buzz, and when he pulls it out, he sees it’s a text from Willie.

**hey alex, are you free tomorrow at 11 for coffee? I know a place!**

**_yeah for sure! just lemme know where._ **

****

As he stands and waits to order, watching his friends talk animatedly and thinking of his plans for the next day, Alex has never been more excited for what’s next.

* * *

Walking into the coffee shop that Willie told him to meet him at, Alex is hit with the warm smell of baked goods and the quiet sound of cheerful holiday music. He breathes in deeply, letting the smell comfort him and calm his nerves. He’d spent the whole night previous trying to convince himself to calm down. The problem, of course, was that he had no idea if Willie was straight or not, and if he wasn’t, if this counted as a date.

Alex also hadn’t told the guys about meeting Willie for coffee, especially after their reactions to his news the day previous. He knew they would support him but constantly being questioned about his decisions would only further his anxiety, and that was the _last_ thing he needed.

It’s best that he sees where this is going and _then_ he can tell the guys about what’s going on, _if_ anything comes of it.

He spots Willie sitting in the corner of the shop, two coffees sitting on the table in front of him. He had texted Alex earlier and asked what his coffee order was, insisting on paying for both their drinks. As he gets closer to the other boy, he’s assaulted by the sheer intensity of his grin.

“Alex! Hey, man!”

_Man. Okay, so he’s straight, right?_

“Hey Willie, how are you?” Alex asks as he sits down across from him.

Willie pushes Alex’s coffee closer to the blonde and grabs his own, “I’m doing alright, how are you, though? I didn’t hurt you too bad yesterday, right?”

Alex decidedly does not mention the bruise on his right elbow that aches dully every time he drums and gives the long-haired boy a small smile, “Nah, I’m all good. The worst you did was knock the air from me.”

Willie’s concerned look turns into a sly smile, “Oh, _yeah_? Normally when I take someone’s breath away it’s for a whole different reason.”

Alex, thankfully having just swallowed the sip of coffee he’d taken, chokes on his air and puts his drink down so as not to drop it in his haste to get his lungs to begin functioning again. Willie’s smile becomes a full-on smirk and Alex begins to question his earlier assumption of him being straight.

_Is he flirting with me?_

Alex clears his throat a final time and flicks his eyes up to Willie’s, “So, uh- did you get to work on time yesterday? I hope almost killing me didn’t make you too late.” He jokes.

Willie snorts a laugh, “Yeah, barely. Luckily my boss was _actually_ late so he didn’t catch me coming in only a few minutes before the start of my shift.”

Alex has begun to flip the small stir stick around just like he would his drumsticks, and Willie catches the movements. He leans forward, continuing to watch Alex intently. “You’re wired pretty tight, aren’t you?”

Alex’s startled laugh causes him to drop the stick onto the table. He shrugs, “Uh- yeah, I basically never stop moving. I’m in a band with some friends and I’m the drummer so that usually gives me a pretty good outlet but- still.”

Willie nods his head like that makes sense, “That’s why I skate- it helps me unwind when I’m feeling especially anxious and annoyed.”

Alex feels a weight that he didn’t know was there lift off his chest- it’s nice to talk to more people who _get_ it.

Eventually, Alex checks his phone for the time and sees that he should be heading over to Bobby’s place for rehearsal. He and Willie part ways outside of the coffee shop and Alex feels lighter than he has in weeks.

* * *

The first time it happens, Alex doesn’t even know how to respond. He’s at a band rehearsal, taking a break and drinking out of his water bottle when he gets a text from Willie.

**do you live in an igloo? because you seem like a pretty cool guy.**

He has to wave away his bandmates when he starts coughing – seriously, what is up with this dude and flirting – for lack of a better word – with him while he’s drinking something. He’s going to die one of these times and it’ll be all Willie’s fault. He’s not sure how to respond, especially because he has no idea how serious Willie or if he’s even _actually_ flirting at all. After all, Alex doesn’t know him _that_ well – this could be just how he is with everyone. He knows there’s no way he can flirt back, so he does what any normal person would do and plays dumb.

**_willie._ **

****

**_we live in la._ **

****

**_where would i possibly find an igloo?_ **

****

He hopes that that sounds like a normal enough response and goes back to rehearsal.

* * *

It keeps happening. Alex still has no idea what Willie’s doing or why, but every single day he’s gotten a holiday-themed pick-up line from the other boy and it’s beginning to drive him insane. The day after the first pick-up line, Willie had texted him again.

**if you were a tree, you’d be an evergreen, because I bet you look this good all year round**

A few days after that, he’d gotten a pick-up line of the confusing variety.

**do you celebrate boxing day? because you’re the whole package.**

This had led Alex down a rabbit hole on google, trying to figure out what the hell ‘boxing day’ was. Once he’d found his answer, he texted back.

**_I’m not Canadian????_ **

****

**_so no I don’t lol_ **

He had nodded to himself, satisfied that that was a normal response. But still, Willie continued, _and_ he began to get bolder.

**those aren’t sugar plums dancing through my head, it’s all you**

That was the text that Alex had received that day before. Despite Alex’s refusal to flirt back, Willie has persisted, and the blond has no idea what to do. He _likes_ Willie – a lot, actually. In between pick-up lines, they’ve been texting pretty frequently and by now it’s strange to go even a couple of hours without hearing from the skateboarder, even when he’s on shift. Willie hadn’t texted yet that morning, but Alex knows that it could be any second.

Sure enough, Alex is just walking into Bobby’s house to get ready for rehearsal when a text comes through.

**can I take a picture of you? I want to show santa exactly what I want for christmas this year**

He stops dead in the middle of the doorway, mouth gaping open at his phone’s screen. Reggie, who is following behind him, runs into his back.

“What the hell dude, why’d you just stop?”

Alex is still staring down at his screen, oblivious to his surroundings, so Reggie pushes him out of the way. The sudden movement causes him to drop his phone and Reggie picks it up, intending to return it to Alex. Too late the blond realizes that his phone is still unlocked and before he can snatch it back, Reggie catches sight of Willie’s messages. His face turns mischievous and Alex knows he’s in trouble.

“Hey, guys?” He calls out to the rest of their bandmates, “Did we know that Alex has a boyfriend?”

Two heads snap up to look at their drummer. He can feel his face start to flush and he manages to squeak out a few words, “He’s- uh, he’s not my boyfriend!”

Reggie raises his eyebrow, “Uh, you sure about that? Because him texting you random pick-up lines doesn’t exactly scream platonic.”

Luke’s now by Reggie’s side, reading Willie’s latest text, “Who _is_ this guy, then?”

“Uh, that’s Willie? He’s the- he’s the guy who ran me over with his skateboard.”

By now all three of his friends are gathered around his phone, gleeful smiles on their faces.

Bobby finally takes the phone from Reggie and gives it back to Alex, “Why aren’t you flirting back? Are you not interested?”

“No, I’m… _definitely_ interested. I just- I don’t know if he means it.”

Luke chimes in, “I’m pretty sure he means it, dude. People don’t just flirt like that for no reason.”

Bobby nods, “He’s right, this Willie guy seems to be trying to get your attention. If you’re into him, you should go for it.”

Alex just shrugs, “Alright, enough about my lack of a love life, let’s get to rehearsing, _please_.”

* * *

A few days later, Alex finds himself sitting at a skatepark. Willie had texted, asking him if he wanted to come hang out and then suggested they would go for food after he was done skating for the day. Alex had agreed and made his way down to the address that Willie had given, and now found himself seated at a bench with an optimal view of the other boy. Eventually, Willie notices Alex sitting and waiting, and he makes his way over to him, grinning ear to ear.

“Hey man, sorry, I didn’t notice you’d gotten here already! I would’ve come over sooner.”

He comes and sits down next to the blond and turns toward him. Alex mirrors his position.

“So where do you want to eat? I was thinking tacos at this place a couple of blocks over but if you have any other suggestions, I’m all ears.”

Alex smiles, “No, tacos sound good to me. We don’t have to leave right away though if you want to stay and skate some more?”

Willie takes off his helmet, “Nah, I’m good to go. I’m actually starting to get hungry, so…” He trails off, looking at Alex expectantly.

He takes that as his cue to start walking, and they make their way over to the taco place, talking about their weeks. Willie is complaining about his boss as they sit down.

“Honestly sometimes I just want to go right up to Caleb and tell him to shut the hell up, but I need the job.”

Alex makes a face, “He sounds like… the worst person ever. I’m sorry you have to put up with him.”

Willie waves his hand, “Ah, I’m sure someone else has it worse than I do.”

Alex raises his eyebrows at the other boy but otherwise says nothing. Their waitress has just walked up, so the two boys place their order. When she walks away, Alex turns back to Willie, only to find him staring.

“Hey, Alex?”

_Oh boy._

“Yes, Willie?”

“I must be a snowman because you make my heart melt.”

Alex turns his eyes skyward and inhales sharply through his nose. Fuck it, might as well go for it.

“Hey, Willie?”

The skater raises an eyebrow, “Yes?”

“Even Santa doesn’t make candy as sweet as you.”

The long-haired boy stares at Alex for a moment with his mouth gaped open, and then suddenly starts laughing. He grabs Alex’s hand over the table, shoulders shaking, “Oh my god, I totally wasn’t expecting that. I thought you like, weren’t into guys or at least weren’t into me and were playing dumb.” At Alex’s surprised expression, he continues, “You _were_ flirting back right?”

Alex tilts his head, “Honestly I wasn’t even sure if you were flirting with me in the first place until about two minutes ago.” he admits.

“Was I not obvious enough with the pick-up lines or..?”

Alex snorts, “No, _that_ was obvious enough. I just wasn’t sure if you were serious about it. But…” He flips his hand over and wraps it around Willie’s, “I’m glad you were.”

The grin the other boy gives him in response makes even the teasing he will have to endure from his bandmates later worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> lolol okay so I just wanted to write some cute christmas willex stuff instead of focusing on my ten page paper that is what I did ! I hope y'all enjoyed and I hope to be writing more willex fic over the next lil while.  
> if you wanna come scream with me about willex stuff (or literally anything, I'm always down to just... yell about stuff lol) find me on tumblr @/yourstrulytaaay where I yell about a whole lotta cute ships! lemme know what you thought in the comments if you want to, and kudos are obviously always appreciated <3  
> hope you enjoyed !  
> oh also !!! for those of you who don't celebrate boxing day lmao, it's a Canadian holiday (I think other countries have it but I know the US doesn't) that's on the 26th of December! I'm Canadian (as evidenced by my use of ou instead of just o in some words) so I saw that pick-up line and had to work it in there somehow lmaooo


End file.
